in last year's re-energizing of the series, she fit the bill perfectly, embodying all the traits that characterize 007's most memorable minxes — the smarts of pussy galore, the drive of melina havelock, the sobriety of anya amasova, and the, ahem, jewels of tiffany case. an instant classic.

the first truly was the best. the swiss native's voice may have been completely dubbed over in postproduction, but, well, the goods were all hers. her sultry walk out of the waves set the tone for every sexy-strong bond girl who followed and led a generation of men to dream about lying down 'underneath the mango tree.'

really, her name alone would have been enough to rank her among bond's best loves. but brit blackman rounded off pussy's cardboard edges, introducing fans to the series' first real woman — a gorgeous dame who can fly a plane and kick butt (check out her rumble in the hay with 007) as well as coo and woo.

bach may have been an american girl, but in the mid-1970s no more exotic a woman appeared on screen than her kgb spook (codename, ahem, agent xxx). equally at home fighting in the sahara as rolling in the sheets, she was the bond-girl response to women's liberation, in every respect 007's first modern equal.

those eyes! those thighs! and with a name like that, guys knew they were going to get what they'd secretly longed for: a woman who really does use sex as a weapon — and can't get enough of it. onatopp (stop snickering!) is said to be the first bond girl seen having an orgasm, and she returned 007's leading ladies to smooth sailing after years in the doldrums.

as it happened, rigg replaced fellow bond girl honor blackman on tv's the avengers, where her emma peel became renowned as the toughest of dames. opposite one-time 007 george lazenby, however, she gave the series' most heartfelt and least comic performance as a lovelorn mafia heiress, the only woman you could imagine the superspy settling down with.

as the quintessential bond girl-with-a-vengeance, she never smiles or says much as she gets even for the murder of her parents with a little crossbow and a helluva lot of determination. still, with legs like those (among the most iconic images in all of 007-dom), who needs a personality?

she was devious and devilish, but that only made bond — and, well, men everywhere — want her more. (her terrifically corny-comely moniker didn't hurt, either.) but beyond all that, seeing this voluptuous lady running around a burning oil rig in a technicolor bikini was all it took to make sean connery's dreariest outing as 007 eminently watchable.